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Far be it for me to commit a Friday night to being inside a loud, crowded club of twinks but three things were driving me: 1) I’ve been on the road all week and I need a New York fix. 2) Hurricane Irene is closing in on the city and I’m likely stuck in my apartment for the next two nights. And 3) I still heart Taylor Dayne. So three friends and I made our way to an ongoing Friday night party called Rockit.

Back in 1987, I could not get enough of the great Dayne with hits like “I’ll Be Your Shelter,” “Don’t Rush Me” and “I’ll Always Love You.” Today she’s 49 and I just can’t believe its true. After her twink dancers took to the stage, I could hear her yelling at her sound guy on her mic from off stage, “Louder! Louder!” She appeared on the balcony singing “Beautiful,” the lead single off her last (and frankly lousy) album. She sang her way down the stairs and was engulfed by her adoring gay fan base on the dancefloor. It was her signature song “Tell It To My Heart” that drew her to the tiny stage where she proudly unveiled her breasts from a leather zipper jacket. She continued with one of my faves “Prove Your Love” and “Floor on Fire,” her feisty new single. Nearly 25 years since breaking onto the scene, this woman still has incredible vocals. I miss the ubiquity of her songs being on the radio like in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but time marches on, doesn’t it? She ended her short, four-song gig with an acapella belting of her only number one hit from 1990, “Love Will Lead You Back.” I can tell you this, Taylor Dayne headlining a gig anywhere will always lead me back. Now sing.